had a bunch of home repairs and cleaning tha required my safe to be mobile for a few days. so after 3days of no issues in the unloading moving storing or my guns my luck finally caught up to me. slings of 2 rifles became tangled and in my haste to prevent them from falling to the ground i felt/heard my 30 06s' barrel strike one of my pistols on the upper shelves... now i have a nice nick down to bare metal. couldve been worse, but things like this tend to get under my skin... i need some TFL group therapy to ease my pain. anyone else care to share their least favorite "o crap," "idiot mark," "screwdriver slipped," moment?
nicked my gun by accident. anyone else care to share their oh crap! stories?
- Thread starter Venom1956
- Start date
1911Alaska
New member
Was teaching my girlfriend how to shoot last week. When I was teaching how to put the magazine in, she picked my 1911 up off the table. Inserted the magazine. Except the hole time she left the barrel of the gun on the table and scratched it up a bit. I didn't even realize she was doing this until the 3rd or 4th time. Luckily though the scratches were not to bad after cleaning it when I got home you can only see them if you are actually looking for them.
Get over it, everyone always remembers the very first scratch or 'nick' on a new piece, the rest only add character. Several years ago, brand new Ruger
10/22, with the most beautiful wood I've ever seen on a 10/22. Brand new scope, at the range sighting in, bent over the gun on the bench and a small screwdriver slides out of my shirt pocket, like a dart, right to the middle of the right side of the buttstock, nice little divot, brought a tear to my eye & a lot of cursing. The rest of the scratches are just character.
10/22, with the most beautiful wood I've ever seen on a 10/22. Brand new scope, at the range sighting in, bent over the gun on the bench and a small screwdriver slides out of my shirt pocket, like a dart, right to the middle of the right side of the buttstock, nice little divot, brought a tear to my eye & a lot of cursing. The rest of the scratches are just character.
Dropped my USPc twice...
I dropped my USPc for the first time the day after I got it, I didn't have a holster for it yet and was carrying it "mexican style" walking up a couple of flights of stairs. I watched it bounce (in slow motion it seems) down 13 cement stairs. I guess that's one way to break it in.
The second time I dropped it I was in NC rock-crawling in my old Jeep XJ. I didn't have doors on it (I just had a steel bar where the doors used to be) and I kept the USPc in the center console. Well with all the bouncing I was doing I guess the console lid came open and the UPSc fell out of the XJ sliding down the rock and I ending up running over it with my rear tire. I didn't realize it fell out of the jeep till I was at the top and several other trucks had taken the same line I did (not sure how many times it must have gotten run over). One of the spectators carried it up to me, it had marks all over it....cleaned it up and took it to the range there, fired as if nothing happened to it.
I dropped my USPc for the first time the day after I got it, I didn't have a holster for it yet and was carrying it "mexican style" walking up a couple of flights of stairs. I watched it bounce (in slow motion it seems) down 13 cement stairs. I guess that's one way to break it in.
The second time I dropped it I was in NC rock-crawling in my old Jeep XJ. I didn't have doors on it (I just had a steel bar where the doors used to be) and I kept the USPc in the center console. Well with all the bouncing I was doing I guess the console lid came open and the UPSc fell out of the XJ sliding down the rock and I ending up running over it with my rear tire. I didn't realize it fell out of the jeep till I was at the top and several other trucks had taken the same line I did (not sure how many times it must have gotten run over). One of the spectators carried it up to me, it had marks all over it....cleaned it up and took it to the range there, fired as if nothing happened to it.
darkroommike
New member
1911 Beauty mark
First time I took down my new (then) Springfield GI I put the classic "beauty mark" on the frame when replacing the slide stop. You would think that after 100 years gun makers would figure out a way to prevent this or at least print a warning in big letters in the manual.
First time I took down my new (then) Springfield GI I put the classic "beauty mark" on the frame when replacing the slide stop. You would think that after 100 years gun makers would figure out a way to prevent this or at least print a warning in big letters in the manual.
Take a look at this sight and the info provided,
http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=214653
Using the info will correct your "idiot mark issues"
I was at the range and had left my DPMS LR-308 sitting on the table to cool while I walked away to clean up to leave. My son was still plinking away at the table to the left of mine. While cleaning up I'd hear, "Pop! Ding! Pop! Ding!" and after about 20 shots I stopped and wondered what the ding was since I had already taken down the steel targets... I realized his shell casings were bouncing off my rifle after being ejected when I turned to look downrange.
A handful of minor scratches were on the side of the upper but that's all.
A handful of minor scratches were on the side of the upper but that's all.
Ok.. Back in the 80's I got into an arguement with my now ex wife. Instead of letting it escalate into a fight I walked out and got in my 4X4 Blazer to leave. As I started to drive off she stepped out the front door and unloaded my 1875 Remington 45 into the side of the truck and then threw the gun, which bounced off the truck into the street. I still have the Remington to this day,(with scratches on the barrel) but not the wife.
I have a good one:
I had been talking to a buddy of mine who had very few oppurtunities to shoot pistols so I decided to take him on his birthday. I had just got done lecturing him about pistol safety and everything that goes along with it on the car ride to the range. Arrive at the range and start walking in and I dropped my gun case (with gun inside) down a hefty flight of stairs. At the bottom was a group of very displeased looking gun enthusiasts huddled around talking. Just a bit embarassing. Gun was fine but I felt heavily judged by everyone in the range.
I had been talking to a buddy of mine who had very few oppurtunities to shoot pistols so I decided to take him on his birthday. I had just got done lecturing him about pistol safety and everything that goes along with it on the car ride to the range. Arrive at the range and start walking in and I dropped my gun case (with gun inside) down a hefty flight of stairs. At the bottom was a group of very displeased looking gun enthusiasts huddled around talking. Just a bit embarassing. Gun was fine but I felt heavily judged by everyone in the range.
Kreyzhorse
New member
Guilty of an idiot mark on my Springfield TRP 1911. It still shoots the same and I like it just as much. Nicks and scraps suck, but why keep the perfect for the next guy?
Not a handgun, but a lesson learned whether handgun or rifle: At a gunshow, with a 99.99% Pre 64 Win 94, I inflicted its first stock ding on the way out--on the corner of another vendor's case,...despite (what I thought was) being ultra careful (and heading straight to the car but a perilously long trek through a very crowded facility)..Lesson learned, some kind of corollary to Murphy's Law - whenever you really try "too hard"..., and always (always) have at least a sock but preferably padded case with you--or purchase one on-site before taking ultimate possession of the gun. I'm normally all with the "guns are to be used, marks are a part of its history," but the charm/reason for this particular buy was its like-new condition. 55+ years on. That was aggravating...and of course the worst part entirely unnecessary.
psychohellbilly666
New member
The usual idiot mark on my first reassembly of my first 1911. Learned a trick though. Partially remove the thumb safety where there's no tension on the plunger spring. Thus no tension when re inserting the slide release.
I don't worry too much about nicks, as long as they don't affect function - they just create character.
I'd say my worst "Oops" moment ended up with the nick on me. Cleaning an M16, had reinserted the front pin, with the rear pin still out, and the upper and lower scissored open. Don't remember how I managed to do it, but somehow caused the upper to swing back down onto the lower - pinching my thumb between the two halves.
Nice, black thumbnail for weeks. Great fun. Heated needles pushed through the nail will help get some of the blood out, alleviating pressure and pain, but are only so effective.
I'd say my worst "Oops" moment ended up with the nick on me. Cleaning an M16, had reinserted the front pin, with the rear pin still out, and the upper and lower scissored open. Don't remember how I managed to do it, but somehow caused the upper to swing back down onto the lower - pinching my thumb between the two halves.
Nice, black thumbnail for weeks. Great fun. Heated needles pushed through the nail will help get some of the blood out, alleviating pressure and pain, but are only so effective.
This is one of the reasons that I like to buy older guns with a bit of wear on them. Because these little oopsies don't bother me as much. It's almost impossible to keep a pistol pristine if you're going to shoot it regularly.
I've gotten scratches and marks from shooting mats, grips, grip fillers, holsters, stupid friends, and that crappy foam they put in cheap gun cases. It just comes with the territory.
At least you can cover-up a proper nick. Consider it an 'identifying mark'.
I've gotten scratches and marks from shooting mats, grips, grip fillers, holsters, stupid friends, and that crappy foam they put in cheap gun cases. It just comes with the territory.
At least you can cover-up a proper nick. Consider it an 'identifying mark'.
keep em coming. im sure in a year or two illl see that nick in my colt and remember fondly but right now it still hurts slightly. perhaps ill man up and post a pic. ive have two other 'oh crap' events. one with my dad LNIB Browning BDM, i was just oiling it and such when i went to move the P/R switch on the slide my coated screwdriver cracked and chipped a piece of the finish. next paragraphs seecond line read "CAUTION FINISH MY BECOME BRITTLE WITH AGE" man did i feel great... the only damage i see and remember fondly is on a old single shot .22 rifle. i couldnt see the target right and ended up scoping myself on my entire eye brow, dropped the rifle and ran into the house to mom screaming because i didnt know what happened. my dad laughing and my mom yelling @ him. in hindsight was a pretty funny way to learn u need glasses.